Liquid dispenser



Feb 2?, L. B

LIQUID DISPENSER Filed Sept. 16, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet l HOSWGF 821,117?! INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

LIQUID DISPENSER Filed $ept. 16, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Hosmer L. 52am 1N VENTOR.

h mwv ATTORNEY.

Feb. 27, 1945. H UM 2.370,!19

LIQUID DISPENSER Filed Sept. 16, 1941 5.5heets-Sheet 3 Hosmer L. 82am INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Feb. 27, 1945. LT BLUM 2,370,119

LIQUID DISPENSER Filed Sept. 16, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Hosmer L. 82am ATTORNEY.

Feb. 27, 1945. H. 1.. BLUM 2,370,119

LIQUID DISPENSER Filed Sept. 16, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Hosmr L,

' INVENTOR.

BY WWKW Patented Feb. 27, 1945 LIQUID DISPENSER Hosmer L. Blum,

S. F. Bowser &

Fort Wayne, Ind., assignor to Company, Incorporated, Fort Wayne, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application September 16, 1941, Serial No. 411,029

5 Claims.

This invention relates to a mechanism for dispensing liquid such as lubricating oil from a locked storage container and under the control of a check controlled mechanism. More specifically, it relates to an oil dispenser which i filled with a check released predetermined stop mechanism which will permit the dispensing of a definite quantity of oil or other liquid from a locked container upon the deposit of a check and which will, upon completion of dispensing, render the dispensing means inoperative so as to prevent further dispensing until an additional check 01' checks are deposited.

In the operation of the usual service station it is a well recognized fact that considerable capital belonging to the station operator is tied up in lubricating oils of the various grades and viscosities which must be kept on hand. This oil is usually stored in tanks which are fitted with hand-operated measuring pumps. These outfits are called "highboys and hold fifty gallons or more of oil.

Many stations have the usual five viscosities, S. A. E. 20, 30, 40, W, W and in two grades, namely, twenty-five cent and thirty cent. Accordingly, there may be an investment of around $200.00 inthree hundred gallons of oil, which oil is used at the rate of perhaps ten gallons a day. If the station operator could purchase the oil as he requires it, he would have considerable capital available for stocking up with accessories such as tires, batteries, etc., and augment his income from greater sales of such items.

It is also a well recognized fact that some unscrupulous operators fill the highboys with bootleg oils and sell such oils under the brand of the oil company which is applied to the tank. When the oil is eventually found to be unsatisfactory by the customers, the brand of the oil company comes into disrepute in spite of the fact that the company spends vast amounts of money annually in advertising and building up its brands.

Various steps have been taken to overcome such bootleg practices and one of the main eiiorts has been by the use of canned oil. However, this practice has various defects. It is expensive, it leads to losses to the customer by way of incomplete drainage and it has been in part rendered inefiective by reason of the fact that the bootleggers have in several known instances resorted to canning bootleg oil under the various oil company brands.

It is a feature of the instant invention that the bootleg oil is effectively prevented from reaching the containers bearing the oil company brand because the only inlet to the container is securely locked and, in addition, a check must be deposited to secure a predetermined quantity of oil. Thus, should the operator place bootleg oil into the container, he must not only pay the bootlegger for the oil but must also pay the oil company before he can remove the oil from the container. This, of course, makes the use of bootleg oil unprofitable.

Accordingly, if the operator is determined to deal in bootleg oil, he must supply an extra set of containers, and even this will not be effective if the customer is alert and insists that the oil be taken from the properly branded tanks.

Where a group of stations are equipped with the invention, the oil company will visit each station at periodic intervals and the truck operator will initially fill all of the tanks with the required grade of oil and will lock the tanks. Upon subsequent visits, he will remove from the safe the checks which are deposited therein and the number of checks will indicate to him the quantity of oil required to replenish the tank. He will then fill the tank and relock it.

The station operator can secure checks from the oil company oilice, the truckman or other authorized company agents or from convenient depositories such as banks or nearby mechants so that he will always be able to secure checks when they are required.

It is to be noted that each check will release an amount such as five-gallons of oil so that the operator may pump this quantity as he requires it in pints or multiples thereof just as it is re tailed by him. At the same time, the stop mechanism is arranged to receive up to nine checks so that the operator may insert checks sufllcient to release forty-five gallons in any one unit. These checks are held in the machine beyond the reach of both the operator and the oil company truck man and as each five gallon lot is pumped and substantially exhausted the check representing payment for this quantity is dropped into the safe so that it may be collected by the truckman who has access to the safe.,

The foregoing objects, and others will become apparent upon a study of this specification taken in connection with the appended drawings which form a part thereof and in which:

Figure 1 is an end elevation with parts broken away showing the pump control mechanism, the tank and the stop mechanism.

Figure 2 is a view partly in section of the pump control mechanism taken on the line 2-2 of Figure -1.

a base Figure 3 is a sectional view of the mechanism of Figure 2, taken on the line 3-3 of that figure.

Figure 4 is a top view of the pump and associated parts.

Figure 5 is an elevation partially in section showing the pump structure and the float.

Figure 6 is a view of the check handling, quantity predetermining and safety mechanisms incorporated in the check released stop mechanism.

Figure 7 is a view of the stop mechanism.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the numeral I indicates the storage tank upon which is mounted 3. A discharge pipe 5 is screwed into a nipple 1 formed in the base and a second discharge pipe 9 is inserted in the nipple and in an outlet fitting II formed in the cap or cover I3. A housing which is fitted between the base and cap encloses the mechanism to be described.

A boss I5 is formed in the base and is internally threaded to receive the threaded shank of a spherical journal I1 and a lock nut I9 on the shank is adapted to be drawn down against the boss to hold the journal in adjusted position.

A drive arm 2| having a bearing 23 adapted to receive th journal I1 is disposed above the base and a be ring cap 25 holds the arm in place on the journal. An upper bearing plate 21 and a lower bearing plate 29 are held in place between the lower end of the arm and the cap 25.

The upper end of the drive arm is of reduced section forming a bearing for a roller 3| which is held in place by a collar 33 pinned to the shaft.

A bracket 35 is clamped on the pipe 9 and is provided with a bearing 31 for the lower end of a vertical shaft 39. The upper end of the shaft is supported in bearing H in the head I3. A crank 43 is fixed on the end of the shaft and carries plate 44 which has an opening to receive the roller 3| so that as the shaft rotates, the drive arm will move and its axis will generate the surface of a cone which is coaxial with the axis of the shaft. The plate 44 is adjustable endwise to vary the tilt of arm 2|.

A bevel gear 43, which is one sun gear of a planetary system, is pinned to the shaft 39. A planetary carrier 45 is mounted for free rotation on the shaft immediately above gear 43 and a second sun gear 41. is rotatablymounted on the shaft above the carrier. Gear 41 is integral with gear 49 which meshes with a bevel gear 50 mounted on crank shaft 5|. The crank shaft is journalled in bearing 53 formed. on the cap and is connected to the crank handle 55. i

The carrier is provided with a journal 51 upon which is mounted a planetary bevel gear 59 adapted to mesh with both sun gears. Gear 59 is held in place by a pinned collar GI. The carrier is also provided with a pair of arms 53 upon which is fixedly mounted a ratchet 55.

Pivotally mounted on a post 51 which projects down from the cap I3 is a lever 69. This lever swings in a horizontal plane adjacent the ratchet and is provided with a depending pawl H which is adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet. A spring 13 is fixed to the post and engages the lever to urge it and the pawl toward the ratchet. The outer end of the lever is bent as at 15 and is provided with an ear 1! for a purpose to be described. Intermediate of the ends of the lever there is formed an upturned ear 1!.

Also, pivotally mounted on a boss 19 which depends from the cap I3 and for movement in a vertical plane, is a bell crank 8|. A short arm 83 projects downwardly from this crank and is adapted to engage the ear is on lever 40. The long arm 85 of the crank is perforated to receive the float rod 81.

Mounted on shaft 39 is a spiral gear as which meshes with a spiral gear 0| mounted for rotation on a shaft 83 which is supported in a standard 55 on bracket 35. A gear 81 which is fixed to gear 9| by a hub, drives a gear 50 which is fixed to a drive socket IOI which is rotatably mounted in the standard 55. A drive shaft I" is mounted in this socket and is connected to drive the stop mechanism as will be later described.

seats I05 which are adapted to receive the spherical journals I01 formed on the upper end sections I09 of connecting rods III. The latter are threadedly engaged with the sections I09 and are held in adjusted position by lock nuts I I3.

A spacer rod H5 is adjustably mounted in a boss M1 on the base 3. The pipe 5 enters the pump body IIS (Figures 4 and 5) and is threadedly attached thereto while the rod II! enters a perforation'in a boss I2I on the body and is held in place by nuts on the rod. This rod and the pipe support the pump body in spaced relation above the bottom of the tank.

Fixed to the lower side of the body H9 is a bottom head I23. A gasket I24 is interposed between the two elements to seal the joint.

The body H9 has a number of cylinders I25 formed therein, there being three shown in the drawings although any suitable number may be employed. Each cylinder is fitted with a piston I21 which is attached to a connecting rod III and which comprises the usual cupped leathers Each cylinder is provided with an inlet port I3I, a discharge port I33, a valve pocket I35 for the inlet valve I31 and a pocket I39 for the discharge valve I4I. A spring I43 urges the valve I31 outwardly from the cylinder toward the inlet port and rests upon a retainer I45 which is fixed to the body II9. Similarly, a spring I41 urges the valve I4I inwardly toward the cylinder and toward the discharge port In and rests upon a spring retainer I48.

The head I23 is provided with ports I5I which are aligned with the inlet ports I3I and with an outlet channel I53 which communicates with each of the discharge ports I33 and with the A bracket I55 is clamped around the pipe 5 as shown in Figures 4 and 5 and carries a guide I51 for the rod 81. A float I59 is attached to the rod and the bracket serves to limit the upward travel of the float as well as to prevent undue lateral movement thereof.

Referring now to Figures 1, 6 and 7, it will be seen that the shaft I03 described above is connected with the control mechanism indicated generally by the numeral I60. The entire mechanism I50 is fully disclosed in the patent to Damon et al. Number 2,247,480, issued July 1, 1941. There is one difference in structure, namely, that the stop lever 201, instead of operating a switch as shown in the patent, operates the lever 59, 15, 11 described above.

The shaft I03 is connected, by gearing not shown, to drive a pawl carrying arm III in a clockwise direction about shaft 331 and stop cam 313 as shown in Figure 7, at the rate of of a revolution for every five gallons of oil dispensed from the container.

than springs 301 and '4 which is provided, in this case, with a closure 6 The cam 313 is connected to be driven by the handle 233, as described below, and is provided with a notch 319. A pawl 205 is pivotally mounted at 206 on the pawl carrying arm 201 and is provided with a tooth 201v which is adapted to ride upon the periphery of the cam and to drop into notch 319.

A star-wheel 381 is mounted for free rotation on the hub of the cam 313 and the teeth 321 of the star-wheel are adapted to be contacted by the nose 21 I of a pawl 209 which is formed integrally with pawl 205. A spring 211 which is stronger 13 combined urges 211 into engagement with the teeth of the star-wheel. A link 323 is pivotally connected at one endto the star-wheel and at the other to the lower arm of the stop lever 291. A spring 301 which is connected at one end to the stop lever and fixedly anchored at the other, urges the lever in a clockwise direction about its pivot 16 I.

A check receiver 501 (Figure 1) is provided in the mechanism 160 and the checks inserted therein drop into one or the other of the recesse 241 (Figure 6), and as the operating handle 233 is rotated it rotates the recesses 241 in a counterclockwise direction (Figure 6). With a check in the upper recess, the stop pawl 263 will be held out of engagement with the edge of the recess and the shaft 331 will be turned a half revolution, whereupon the check will be ejected by ejector pin 253 and will be guided by chute 425 into the stacking chute 401. After the recess has passed the pawl 263, the non-return ratchet 231, which is also actuated by handle 233, will be engaged by the pawl 255 so that the stroke must be completed. The stroke in the forward direction is limited by the engagement of the unoccupied notch 241 with pawl 263.

A cam 241 is mounted to rotate with shaft 331 and actuates a lever 281 which is provided with an arm 293.- The latter engages pin 295 on lever 291 and moves the lever in a counter-clockwise direction. This action is effected substantially simultaneously with the engagement of the nonreturn pawl and ratchet and is maintained until the check is ejected.

A sector gear 333, which is also actuated by handle 233, is connected by gearing; not shown, to rotate the stop cam 313 in a counter clockwise direction (Figure?) and the ratio of the gearing is such that the cam 313 is advanced nine-tenths of a revolution for every half revolution of'shaft 313 and hence, upon the insertion of every check,

' the notch 3.19 is in effect displaced one-tenth of a revolution farther from the tooth 201 in a clockwise direction, Figure 7.

A slide 435 is mounted below the check chute 401 and is provided with an opening 413. The slide is mounted for movement to position the opening 413 either under the chute or over an opening 401 formed in the top wall of the compartment 405 which houses the 'safe or check drawer 403.

A crank 229 is connected to be drivem by gears 2 I 9 and 223 as well as by other gearing, not shown, so asto make one revolution in the time required to dispense the liquid equivalent of one token, in this case, five gallons. The crank is connected by a spring 421 and a link 419 to the arm 415 of the slide.

The drawer 403 is adapted to be locked in place by a lock 421.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the pipe 9 communicates with the usual nozzle spout 2. The tank 1 is also provided with the usual filling flange and a lock 3.

A resettable register 10 may be connected by suitable gears 12, 14 to shatt 39 to indicate the pints and quarts or other suitable increments dispensed at each operation.

I peration will be filled to a predetermined degree by the.

oil company and locked up with a lock, the key being retained by the oil company. Of course, it is more economical from a transportation standpoint to fill the tanks completely since fewer calls by the oil truck will be required to keep the filling station supplied. Also, the storage capacity at the bulk plant can be reduced by depositing the oil in the filling station tanks.

At the initial filling, the stop pawl 205-201 occupies the notch 319 in the stop cam and the nose 211 of pawl 209 is forced into engagement with the side of a tooth 321 of the star-wheel under the action of spring 211, and since it is more powerful than springs 301 and 13, the spring 211 will force the star-wheel to move in a clockwise direction and this motion of the star-wheel moves link 323 to rotate the stop lever 291 in a counter-clockwise direction (Figs. 6 and '7).

This motion of lever 291 is transmitted to lever 69 (Figure 3) and the latter is rotated clockwise (Figure 3) to withdraw projection 11 from ratchet 65, thus freeing the planetary carrier 45 for rotation. Since the gear 43 is connected to the pump which afl'ords considerable resistance to operation, any effort applied to the crank handle 55 will result in an idle rotation of the planet gear and carrier about the gear 43 which remains stationary, the transmission of power being through gear 50 to gears 49 and 41, thence through gear 59 to the carrier 45. As a result, there will be no pumping of oil while the machine in in the condition described.

In order to dispense oil from the apparatus, it

is necessary for the operator to insert a check in the receiver 501. The check will drop into a recess 241 and upon rotation of the handle 233 the check will be carried'a half revolution as shown in Figure 6, will be ejected by pin 253 and will fall into chute 425 and be guided thereby into the stacking chute 401.

As the check passes the pawl 263, the cam 241 will actuate pawl 201 and, it stop pawl 291 is not already in its counter-clockwise position, it will move it to this position with the result that dispensing will be interrupted as described above.

Also, during the movement of the check past the pawl 263, the full stroke or non-return mechanism 255,231 will become engaged so that the handle 233 can be rotated only in the direction necessary to complete the stroke.

During the stroke, the active gear sector 333, by means of suitable connecting gearing which is not shown, advances the stop cam nine-tenths of a revolution so that at the end of the stroke notch 319 will occupya position one-tenth of a revolution away from, and in the direction of travel of the tooth 201 of pawl 205. As a result of this rotation, the pawl 209, 211 is lifted'since tooth 201 now rides upon the periphery of the cam 313 and the spring 301 is conditioned to return lever 291, link 323 and star-wheel 301 to the opposite positions from those shown in Figure '1. Such action, however, is prevented until the end of the stroke is reached and the pawl "I rides oi! the high section of cam 24L When this occurs, lever 201 rotates in a clockwise direction and relieves spring 13 (Figure 3) so that lever 89 will be moved by it to position the stop II in engagement with ratchet 00.

when this occurs, the planetary gear carrier 45 is locked and ii turning effort is applied to crank 50, motion will be transmitted through gear 50, gears 49-41 and planet gear -59 to sun gear 43 and shaft 30. The shaft in turn drives crank 43 which imparts a nutatory motion to the plates 21, 20 through roll 3| and drive arm 2| so that the connecting rods III will be alternately lifted and depressed. This action is positive in both directions and consequently, the pistons I21 w ll be lifted and depressed in sequence. Upon risin the pistons will draw oil from the body of oil surrounding the pump body, in through ports I5I and "I. past valves I31 and into the cylinders. Upon the down stroke, this measured amount of oil will be displaced through the ports I33, past valv HI and through I39, I53, pipes 5 and 9 to the nozzle spout 2.

It should be here noted that checks up to a total of nine checks may be inserted in the machine and that checks may be added at any time provided the total number in the machine does not exceed nine. Suitable indicators, not shown, are provided to indicate the number of unexpended checks in the machine. Further, the cam I and pawl 2M disable pumping apparatus during the time a check is being inserted and a credit is being posted on the machine. provision were not made, it would be possible for the operator to cheat the machine by failing to complete the credit posting stroke.

If we assume now that a. credit of several fivegallon increments has been posted on the machine, dispensing may be carried on at the will of the operator to dispense any desired quantity falling within the range of the credit set up. However, as the oil is dispensed, the pawl carrier 20I advances in a clockwise direction (Figure 7) and the pawl tooth 201 advances toward the stop cam notch 319, and when it drops into the notch, the spring ill will force nose 2 of the pawl 209 into contact with the side of a star-wheel tooth 321 and the wheel will be rotated clockwise and will rotate stop lever 291 counterclockwise against the action of springs 30I and 13. The lever 69, Figure 3, will consequently be rotated clockwise to withdraw ratchet tooth II from ratchet 65 and thus will free the planetary carrier so that the crank handle 55 will turn idly as explained above. This, of course, effectively prevents the delivery of any more oil until another check is inserted.

In the process of dispensing, the slide 435 will move to the left to position the opening 40I there-' in under the chute 401 during the dispensing of the first half of the five-gallon increment. When the slide is so positioned, a check will drop into the opening H3 in the slid and during the dispensing of the remaining two and one-half gallons, the check will be moved by the slide into position over the hole 40 I, and substantially at the end of the dispensing of the five gallons, the check will be deposited in the safe or drawer 403. When it is in this drawer, the check can be removed by the oil company but this is not possible until the oil'paid for has been delivered. The machine thus controls the transaction between the oil company and the station operator or re- If such taller, in that it requires a check to be irrevocably deposited by the retailer before the oil is made available to him, and it requires complete delivery of the oil before payment is made to the wholesaler. Payment is thus held in escrow by the machine.

There is the possibility that the oil in the tank maybe exhausted before the credit on the machine is exhausted, consequently, provision must be made to prevent the retailer from receiving air instead of oil in return for his checks. This is accomplished by providing the float I59, which floats in oil, adjacent the bottom of the tank. As the liquid level falls and uncovers the float, the float will follow the liquid level down. When the level reaches a point which is still safely above the inlet ports I5I, the weight of the float will exert a pull on rod 81 and on arm 85 of lever 8| (Figures 2 and 3). This lever will rotate clockwise and will rotate the lever 69 clockwise (Figure 3) by means of arm 83 and ear 18, with the result that the planetary carrier is freed and the crank I! is rendered ineffective as explained above.

As soon as the tank is filled, the float I59, rod

B1, levers 8i and 89 will be restored to the dispeirziriing position and dispensing may be proceeded w The displacement of the pumpmay be adjusted by moving the spherical journal I! up or down. Movement up increases the stroke of the pistons and vice versa. It is obvious that various changes may be made in the form, structure and arrangement or Parts without departing from the spirit of the invention. accordingly, applicant does not desire to be limited to the specific embodiment disclosed herein primarily for purposes of illustration; but instead, he desires protection falling fairly within thewsgope of the appended claims.

a I claim to be new and desire by Letters Patent of the United States protect 1. In a liquid dispensing apparatus the combina tion of a tank, a metering device connected to dispense liquid from said tank, a diflerential mechanism comprising movable driving, driven and control elements constructed and arranged so that when the control element is held against motion, the driving element will actuate the driven element, manual means for actuating the drivlng element means connecting said driven element to actuate said metering device, a brake mechanism associated with the control element and actuable to stop or release it, a presettable stop mechanism comprising a member movable between stop and running positions, means connecting said driven element to drive said stop mechanism, and connections between said member and said brake mechanism for releasing the letter when said member occupies its stop posiion.

2. In a liquid dispensing a paratus bination of a tank, a meterirfl; pump n c i d to dispense liquid from said tank, a diilerentiai mechanism comprising movable driving, driven and control elements constructed and arranged so that when the control element is held against motion, the driving element will actuate the driven element, manual means for actuating the driving element means connecting said driven element to actuate said pump, a brake mechamsm associated with the control element and actuable to stop or release it, a presettable stop mechanism comprising a member movable between stop and running positions, means connecting said driven element to drive said atop mechanism, connections between said member and said brake mechanism for releasing the latter when said member occupies its stop position, and tripping means actuated by said driven element for moving said member to its stop position after a predetermined operation of said driven element.

3. In a liquid dispensing apparatus the combination of a tank, a metering pump connected to dispense liquid from said tank, a mechanism comprising movable driving, driven and control elements, said control element being conditionable to transmit or to prevent the transmission of power from said driving to said driven element, manual means for actuating the driving element means connecting said driven element to actuate said pump, a, presettable stop mechanism comprising a member movable between stop and running positions connected to condition said control element to prevent transmission of power when said member occupies its stop position, tripping means actuated by said driven element for moving said member to its stop position after a predetermined operation of said driven element, and check controlled means for presetting said tripping means to predetermine the operation of said driven element.

i. In a liquid dispensing apparatus the combination of a tank, a measuring pump connected to dispense liquid from said tank, a driving element adapted to be actuated at will, a driven element connected to actuate said pump, means for connecting and disconnecting said elements, a stop device comprising a trip mechanism movable between stop and running positions, said mechanism being adapted to actuate said disconnecting means to disconnect said elements when in stop position, means connecting said mechanism to be driven by said driven element toward stop position and check controlled means for driving said mechanism away from stop position a distance equivalent to the value of each check. i

5. In a liquid dispensing apparatus, the combination of a tank, a measuring pump in said tank having inlet ports submerged in said liquid,

means for actuating said pump comprising an element operable at will, a driven element connected to said pump and releasable means for connecting said elements, means for releasing said connecting means when the liquid level reaches a level slightly above said inlet ports, and a stop mechanism comprising a control element connected to be manually driven in one direction to post a credit and to be driven by said driven element in a direction to reduce the credit, together with means for releasing said connecting means when said credit is exhausted.

HOSMER L. BLUM. 

